Playing Music on my Mac Keyboard?

December 17, 2005 8:56 PM

I just discovered that GarageBand is on my new PowerBook. Is it possible to use the keyboard keys as keys gor GB's musical keyboard? I couldn't find an answer to this quest on the Web or on Apple's site.
posted by ParisParamus to computers & internet (18 comments total)

shift-apple-K will pop up the musical keyboard
posted by reverendX at 9:04 PM on December 17, 2005

If you mean, can you plug in an external keyboard and use it to control GarageBand, yes. Otherwise, I'm not very clear on your question...
posted by youcancallmeal at 9:04 PM on December 17, 2005

Oh! Or are you asking if you can use the keyboard on your Powerbook to control the keyboard in GarageBand?
posted by youcancallmeal at 9:05 PM on December 17, 2005

Yes.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2005

So I can try and revive my dormant musical talents
posted by ParisParamus at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2005

MidiKeys is a virtual keyboard that sends MIDI notes to any program that accepts them, like GarageBand, Reason, and others. You use your laptop's keyboard.
posted by odinsdream at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2005

(This is the last, I promise.)

Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts for GarageBand. Sadly, controlling the on-screen keyboard is not once of them. I've always just used the mouse. Alternately, perhaps this will be of help.
posted by youcancallmeal at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2005

Thanks. The download works, albeit with an odd mapping of notes. Also , It adjust the trackpad to allow a more keyboard-like interface.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:27 PM on December 17, 2005

Yeah, thank your stars you have GB2 because this wasn't permitted on 1.
posted by johngoren at 9:39 PM on December 17, 2005

thank you all.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:59 PM on December 17, 2005

If it's GB2, try shift-command-K. Also, MidiKeys worked fine for me in GB1.
posted by mzurer at 10:03 PM on December 17, 2005

Shift-Command-K, as has been mentioned, will replace the onscreen mouse-activated keyboard (Command-K) with a larger keyboard. Why it's larger is beyond me, but whatever. That will allow you to use the Mac QWERTY keyboard as your piano keys. It was OK in a pinch and even polyphonic, too, but not long after I upgraded to GB2 I went out and bought one of these.
posted by emelenjr at 10:50 PM on December 17, 2005

This does not work for me. I needed the extra software to have keyboard keys function as keys.
posted by ParisParamus at 11:13 PM on December 17, 2005

So just to clarify: what happens when you click on the Window menu in GarageBand and select "Musical Typing"?
posted by toddshot at 12:40 AM on December 18, 2005

Hmm, yeah, Musical Typing does what you want straight in GarageBand with no other software required :)
posted by wackybrit at 6:01 AM on December 18, 2005

Toddshot, what happens is that I look like a fool, because that's EXACTLY what I wanted. Thank you!
posted by ParisParamus at 7:34 AM on December 18, 2005

Tagging on: is there anything like MIDIkeys for Windows?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 12:19 PM on December 18, 2005

Yeah this sounds like too much fun for us PC folks to be left out.
posted by parallax7d at 7:38 PM on December 18, 2005